Mark of the Wolf (15 page)

“
So you won’t force her… the same
reason why she’s unclaimed, I suppose?” Isak’s tone was
dry.

“
She’s human, I don’t want to push her
away,” Gareth said shortly. “She doesn't understand our
ways.”

“
And will you explain them to her — or
just show her firsthand?” Isak asked, a sly smile on his face.
“From what I recall, you aren't much of a teacher.”

Gareth didn't answer. Whether or not he
taught Maddy their laws, he would always protect her. “Leave that
to me, my friend,” he said. “But now to business. I have something
to ask of you.”

“
You don’t need to ask,” Isak said. “I
know why you were here.”

Gareth nodded solemnly. “Then you’ll be my
Beta?”

“
It would be an honor,” he responded
formally.

Gareth knew what was expected next. There was
a tense silence as the two men looked at each other, then abruptly
Gareth launched himself over the table, slamming into Isak’s chest
and smashing them both to the floor. The taller man didn’t put up
much of a fight, but rather let Gareth pin him down, offering his
neck in submission. It was usually a ritual done in wolf form. This
was somewhat of an exception.

“
You swear your life to me,” Gareth
said.

“
I do,” Isak replied.

“
You’ll protect my lifemate in the
case of my death or any other circumstances?”

“
I will.”

“
Good.” Gareth’s hand had been on his
neck, holding him pinned, but now he released him, standing up and
straightening the chairs. The two men sat back down as though
nothing had happened. Despite himself, Gareth felt a bit less
tension. Isak was now sworn to his side. Maddy would be safe… no
matter what the outcome of the fight.

“
Kane is preparing to face you
tomorrow,” Isak asked. “He told us to bring you to him should we
find you. He's ready to fight. It is the full moon tomorrow night,
after all. Perfect timing. Did you plan it that way?”

“
I just want this over with as soon as
possible,” Gareth replied. In truth, he hadn't though much of what
stage the moon was in, though Alpha fights always happened on the
full moon. He didn’t want to wait long enough for Kane to send more
people after Maddy, or endanger her in any other way. Werewolves
were not the safest of people, and she didn’t know the rules of his
world. The sooner he finished this process, the sooner he could
focus on building their life together.

Isak spoke again. “He and his inner circle
have been operating the car garage downtown. I can take you there
tomorrow.” Isak paused. “You haven't... you haven't told her what
you’ll have to do, have you?”

Gareth knew he meant Maddy. “That’s none of
your business.”

Isak raised his hands defensively. “I’m just
saying, she seems like a sweet girl…. You should warn her, at
least.”

“
I’ll handle it.”

“
At least tell her the risk you are
taking….”

At that moment, the kitchen door slammed
open. Gareth looked up and took in a sharp breath – he could smell
Maddy even before she entered the room, and then she stalked past,
her eyes dark, her brows drawn down. Her fists were clenched in her
pockets. He could smell anger coming off of her, dense and hot,
summoning a low growl to form in his throat. Suddenly his blood was
pounding. His hormones had been skyrocketing since that kiss in the
alley; he had very little control left. The wolf wanted out. Now he
felt his canines extend in his mouth and had to lock his muscles to
stop from jumping up and grabbing her, forcing her to the wall and
taking her sweet mouth, hearing her whimper and moan, god how he
loved her sounds….

She walked past him and he heard the front
door slam.

Isak shared a glance with him, then the tall
Swedish werewolf turned to glare at the kitchen. “Yvonne!” he
bellowed.

“
What?” the woman called back, leaning
against the door frame, her expression innocent.

“
What did you say to her?” Isak asked
darkly.

“
Just the truth,” she said
sweetly.

Gareth felt his anger rise. Perhaps he had
been entangled with Yvonne as a young wolf, but that had ended long
ago, the same day he had lost the pack battle. He bristled, his
hate for her even more intense. Not only had she betrayed him, but
she had left him for Kane, the very man that had cheated him of his
rightful place. She was purely out for power and he wasn’t fooled
at all by her sweet smile.

He moved to stand up but Isak raised his
hand. “Give her some space, Gareth,” he said. “Let the girl walk it
off. Sometimes women need that. Besides, we have plans to make. You
can chase her when we’re done.”

Gareth nodded, forcing himself to sit back
down. Isak was right; they had to make their plans quickly, decide
how they would confront Kane and turn the pack against him, and how
to set things up after the battle was won. He sighed and gritted
his teeth. Maddy would just have to wait a little bit longer… but
he would make that wait worthwhile. He couldn't wait to get her to
the hotel room.

With a harsh look at Yvonne that left her
scurrying back to the kitchen, he turned to Isak. “So who is
willing to support us, and where shall we meet?”

Chapter 9

Maddy couldn’t keep the tears off her face.
She tried to tell herself it was just the rain, but she knew it was
a lie. She was hurt; her chest ached and she didn’t know what to do
about it. She had been getting nothing but mixed signals from
Gareth since the moment he had saved her life, and now it was worse
than ever. He hadn’t followed her out of the house. He didn’t seem
to care at all that she was upset. Probably Yvonne was in there
right now, crowing over her victory, sitting in his lap and kissing
him just the way she used to. The idea of him touching the she-wolf
and giving her that sexy smile made Maddy’s blood boil, but it also
made the tears come harder. She hated herself for her own weakness;
a stronger person would have gone back in and fought Yvonne,
competed for his affection, not given up, just like how Gareth
wasn’t giving up on his pack. But she couldn’t be that person.
Instead she was hiding again, attempting to yank his car door open
and huddle in the passenger seat. She had nowhere else to go but
here.

The door wouldn't open; it was locked solid. She pulled her
hood up, stamping against the cold, hating the rain and everything
else around her. She couldn't go back into the house now; that
would be even more humiliating than her dramatic exit. And what if
Yvonne really was sitting in Gareth's lap? She would become just
another child in the corner, forgotten by the adults, dumb and
useless. Maddy glared at the car. She would
not
become a burden.

Choosing a direction, Maddy started down the
sidewalk. It was a suburban neighborhood, the streets brightly lit
despite the late hour; she would just walk around the block and let
off some steam. Maybe after a good fast-paced walk everything would
make more sense. Maybe she just needed to work out some emotions.
She looked determinedly at the sidewalk and her beaten-up tennis
shoes, running everything over in her head, every word Gareth had
said to her, every expression, every kind deed. He couldn't be
faking it... could he? But why? Apparently humans and werewolves
couldn't be lifemates, or at least it wasn't as simple as it had
first seemed. But then what did that make their relationship? Was
she being fooled? Used? The thought was so painful that she had to
bite her lip to keep from crying. She had thought she was finally
safe, that finally there was someone who wanted her... but how
could she trust him when she had never trusted anyone before?

She reached the end of the block and waited
at the crosswalk, then continued down the next row of houses, all
of them silent and identical. By now she was soaked through but she
didn't care; in fact, she was beginning to care less and less if
Gareth ever came after her. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe she should
pull back now before she got in too deep.

She sighed, scuffing her shoe against the
cement. It's not like she really had a choice – she was stuck here
in Davenport until everything worked itself out. She had no other
way home... not that she had anywhere to return to.

Maddy was so lost in thought that she never saw the black
SUV pull up behind her. She didn't hear the door open, or the
hooded figure jump down and run towards her. Suddenly hands grabbed
her, and she let out gasp, but a hand clamped down on her mouth
before she could scream. She found herself smothered with a white
cloth. She struggled, frantic, panicking and kicking, trying to
fight, trying to figure out what was going on... but it was
useless. She tried to look around, eyes wide, but could see no one.
The man's arms were like iron, and the chemical smell on the cloth
made her lightheaded and dizzy, her limbs growing weak,
heavy...
so
heavy
....

Her vision began to tunnel into darkness, and
Maddy felt her legs give out beneath her, strength draining as
though someone had turned off a switch. No, this wasn't happening,
it made no sense, what...?

She was not going to let herself pass out...
she had to fight, she had to figure out what was happening....

She tried one last time to scream, gave one
last halfhearted wrench, then collapsed backward. Darkness claimed
her.

* * * *

An hour had passed and Gareth couldn't stand
it anymore. He and Isak had covered almost everything they needed
to prepare for his fight, and all he could think of was getting to
Maddy. He didn't know what she was upset about, but he was fully
prepared to reassure her that Yvonne was a worthless, scheming
bitch. He missed her presence near him, missed her smell, her
warmth.

“
You're not paying attention,” Isak
said, his voice humorless.

“
I'm paying attention,” Gareth
rumbled. “But these are minor details. The pack will accept whoever
wins the battle for Alpha whether or not they are familiar with me.
I'm sure most of them remember me, anyway.” He couldn't help but
smile bitterly. It was the way of the pack to follow whoever won
the fight for dominance, a custom that had worked against him in
the past. Now it would work in his favor; Isak had assured him that
no one was satisfied with Kane as Alpha. There had been murmurs of
revolt for some time now.

Isak sighed, shaking his head. “I'll make the
necessary phone calls, rally as many members as possible,” he said.
Then he nodded to the door. “Why don't you go find your mate?”

Gareth glanced up, grinning in return. “You
know me too well, Isak,” he said.

“
Be thankful I do,” his old friend
replied. “Otherwise you would be without a Beta.”

Gareth let out a bark of a laugh and rose
from his chair, shaking Isak's hand and glancing at the doorway
where Yvonne had disappeared. “Try not to let her know too much,”
he said quietly. “I don't trust her.”

“
Don't worry about that, I'll take
care of it,” Isak assured him, nodding. Apparently he was well
aware of his sister's faults. “Now go, before your human gets even
more mad at you.”

Gareth wanted to laugh, but he knew Isak was
right – Maddy had seemed angry with him, and though he wasn't sure
why, he fully blamed Yvonne. He sighed inwardly; now it was time to
set things straight. Where had his lifemate run off to?

Standing and walking across the living room,
Gareth waved a casual goodbye and let himself out the door,
stepping into the rain. He stood for a moment in the glow of the
porch light, allowing his senses to adjust and the cold air to
clear his mind... then he paused. His car was locked and empty. He
sniffed the air. Maddy had been here, but now she was gone.

Gone. He tried to ignore the finger of ice
that ran down his spine. She was fine, probably she had just gone
for a walk, he would catch up with her in no time....

Walking for a whole hour?
his thoughts murmured. He pushed them
aside. He had figured she would stay here on the porch, or at least
near the house – didn't the girl have any sense? Didn't she know
the dangers? With a sickening lurch, he realized she probably
didn't. She was human; he kept forgetting that she was from a
different world. A tame world.

He picked out her scent quickly, though it
was beginning to fade from the constant rain. He followed it to his
car and then turned right, heading down the sidewalk, quickening
his pace. The rain continued to pour, plastering his black hair to
his forehead, making him squint through the water. He saw no sign
of her.

He reached the crosswalk and ran across the street, not
waiting for the light. Although he hated to admit it, his heart was
beginning to pound, his stomach twisting in cold certainty.
Something wasn't right. Something
definitely
wasn't right.

There. He found it. Her footsteps became
unsteady and were joined by another scent, this one a heavier, male
odor... definitely a wolf. By the quality of the stench, he could
already guess who it was. He cleared his lungs and took a deep
breath, his expression turning darker. Some form of chemical. They
had drugged her.